


Finding Home

by orphan_account



Series: Inspired by Rick Riordan and the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus series [10]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Dark Percy, F/M, M/M, Monsters, POV Alternating, POV Second Person, Past, Past Abuse, Past Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Protective Percy, Slow Build, Tartarus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-08-19
Packaged: 2018-04-09 04:43:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4334303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy dreads going home for the school year. After the wars, he'd been staying year-round at Camp- Half-Blood. After the war against Kronos, Sally had decided to not use Madusa's head on Gabe. On the bright side, Gabe has always been an 'angel' around visitors, and Percy gets an idea whenough He sees one of his closet friends, Leo.<br/>Leo's always stayed year-round at Camp Half-Blood. It had become the only real home he's had. His foster homes were never a home, that's why he always ran away. So, when Percy asks him to come home with him, he's beyond nervous.<br/>Especially when Percy's home takes a turn for the worst, and ends up a lot like Leo's least favorite foster home. Not to mention the monsters attacking constantly.<br/>This is basically a slow build relationship for Percy and Leo. Where the two bond over their pasts and things that haven't spoken of, all the while dealing with Gabe and a ton of unexplained monster attacks.</p><p>*A few people got confused about this, but this story does take place after the war against Gaea*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Decisions

**Author's Note:**

> I'll try to post either every five days, or weekly. I will not abandon this story, bit if it takes a while between updates, then my phone messed up and I couldn't access my chapters for a while, or I have a case of writers block. I will not abandon this story, I promise.  
> Suggestions and Ideas/Help are appreciated (and might even help me out of my writers block sometimes, so really, it's appreciated)
> 
> I live for Kudos and Comments.
> 
> Thank You!
> 
> ~Aubrey

Percy was tired. Tired of the wars, tired of fighting, andmost importantlytired of Gabe.

Of coarse, Percy had been in plenty of fights before, although there were two problems. One, celestial bronze doesn't hurt humans, and Percy's not a murderer, either. Two, Percy could easily best Gabe up, but Gabe would either call the police, beat Percy's mom, or do both and tell the cops Percy did it.

No matter what, Percy would not put his mom in harms way, even if that meant taking a beating himself.

"Percy?"

Percy turned around at the sound of his name in a choked sob. He'd been sitting by the lake at Camp Half-Blood, dreading that he'd have to leave tomorrow because of school.

"Annabeth? What's wrong?"

Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself as she shook. It was past curfew, so she should have been asleep. Did she have another night terror? She was staring at the ground, but Percy could see the tears streaming down her face as she refused to look at him. "Percy, I'm so sorry."

Percy furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Sorry for what? You didn't do anything, as far as I know." He patted the ground beside him. "Come sit down."

She shook her head and stayed where she stood. Percy hesitated, then softly asked, "Did you have a night terror?"

Annebeth tensed and shook her head, then paused and nodded. Percy was starting to get really confused.

"What did you dream, about?"

She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "Akhlys."

Percy froze. They hadn't spoken about that since it happened, but he could always see the fear in her eyes. It scared him, and he had a feeling he knew where this conversation was headed.

"I can't do it anymore, Percy. _This_ ," she gestured between them. "Us. It hurts, and I'm scared. I saw a dark part of you, and it terrified me. I love you, and I don't want to lose you as my friend, even if it takes a while before I can except that. Right now, I just can't. It scares me being around all of this. It's not just you, but the entire camp. The Athena Parthenos, the _Argo II,_ you, the rest of the seven... I need time."

Percy's heart clinched painfully. He knew this was coming eventually, but he hoped they would work through it. He understood, of coarse. But, that doesn't mean it hurt any less.

Percy nodded. "I... I understand. When you're ready, I do want us to be friends."

Annabeth nodded, then looked away again. "That's not all." Percy raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to Camp Jupiter for the school year, maybe longer."

Percy opened his mouth, then closed it, not really sure what to say.

"I'm sorry, Percy," Annabeth said, stepping up and kissing Percy's cheek. "Goodbye, Seaweed Brain."

Percy looked up at her, eyes prickling as tears came through. Luckily, he held them back. "Goodbye, Wise Girl. Take care of yourself."

Annabeth smiled softly, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "You too." She started walking away, but stopped, glancing over her shoulder.

"I love you, Percy."

Percy felt the tears finally streaming down his face as she walked away.

"I love you, Annabeth."

 

* * *

 

 

Leo sighed. He'd been siting in Bunker 9 for hours, trying to find something new to build that he hasn't made already. Calypso tried to help, but couldn't come up with anything new, either. Leo smiled at her and told her it was fine, then winked and told her to go have fun when he saw her watching the Stoll twins. She flushed read before chasing after them, leaving Leo to his own thoughts. Now, an hour later, Leo was incredibly bored.

After a moment more of thinking, he gave up, deciding on a swim in the lake. Besides, if it was cold, he could always warm it up with his fire.

He paused as he saw a figure on the shore. A few steps closer allowed him to identify the figure as Percy Jackson, and he walked over to say hi. He sat down beside his friend with a smile, but it melted as he noticed the tears staining his cheeks.

"Hey, Leo."

Leo scooted closer, setting a hand on Percy's back for comfort. The two had become friends during the few months after the war. Leo knew quite a bit about him, but not everything. His favorite color was blue, he secretly preferred Camp half-blood over Camp Jupiter, he doesn't like his step dad and calls him Smelly Gabe (he wouldn't tell also why, and always changed the subject, simply stating that he was a jerk) and his mom is the reason he always makes blue foods. He knew a bit more than that, like how many times he's been expelled, his favorite hobby (besides swimming), and that he used to be made fun of. He never spoke about His step dad, and he never spoke about Tartarus. Although, Leo assumed it was fair, as he never spoke of his time in foster care.

He rubbed little circles with his thumb as he asked, "What happened, Perce?"

Percy took a deep breath and let it out. "Annabeth broke up with me. She's afraidI mean, camp is just a little much for her right now. She's going to Camp Jupiter for the school year, maybe longer."

"I'm sorry, man. That sucks." Leo paused before deciding to change the subject, which usually succeeded in improving Percy's mood. He grinned. "Wanna go swimming? You can watch the fire boy flail around in the water!"

Percy shook his head, and Leo gaped. He must be really upset to turn down swimming. Time for a different tactic. "Hey, at least you get to see your mom tomorrow, right?"

Percy tensed, and Leo realized he must have said the wrong thing. He removed his hand from Percy's back and tried to think of a way to help.

 

* * *

 

 

Percy suddenly got an idea. A great one, actually. Leo could come with him! Sadly would love him, and Leo could really use a mother figure. Besides, Gabe has always acted like an angel whenever someone was around, unless the visitors were his Poker buddies.

Leo jumped as Percy's smile brightened and he stared the Latino down.

"I think he's lost it," Leo mumbled.

Percy laughed. "No, but I did just get an idea. You should come home with me for the winter!"

Leo gave him a look like, _Are you insane?_

"Come on, it's a great idea! You'd love my mom, and you wouldn't have to stay here alone all winter."

Leo still looked wary. "Are you sure? Maybe you should talk to your mom about this... She's never met me, so it might seem weird if you just show up on her doorstep with a Latino firebug beside you."

Percy laughed, already feeling better. Leo's always had a way of cheering him up, even if it is by changing the subject. Percy's also found himself glad that the son of Hephaestus doesn't pester him to explain what's wrong, and just tries to make him happier.

"It'll be fine, Leo. My moms an angel, you'll love her."

Leo still looked uncertain, but slowly nodded. "What about that Gabe guy?"

It took a lot out of Percy not to cringe at the sound of his name. "It'll be fine. He's always nice around visitors, so he'll be nice through the whole winter."

Leo thought for a second more before sighing in defeat. "Fine, I'll go home with you for the summer."

Percy smiled.

 

* * *

 

 

 To say Leo was nervous would be an understatement.

He'd never met Percy's family, or any of his friend's families. He'd been in foster homes, but was never happy there. Piper had helped him enjoy the wilderness school, but he still wasn't happy there. The only place that he'd come to accept as home, was Camp Half-Blood. The people here were the only family he's known since his Mom. So, you can understand why he'd feel nervous.

He sat in Bunker 9 the next morning, sorting though his things to see what he'd need for the summer. He'd need clothes to wear and sleep in. He should probably take bathroom things, just in case. Hey, he didn't know what he could or could not be allergic to, so better to bring what he's familiar with. Would he need a sleeping bag? Pillow?

"Stop over thinking things."

Leo glanced up in surprise to see Percy leaning in the doorway, his arms and ankles crossed as he smirked.

Leo flushed from embarrassment. "I'm not over thinking!"

Percy grinned. " _Sure_ you're not. Anyways, we can share my bedit's a full-sizedunless you're uncomfortable with that. If you are, you can sleep on the couch. You could even lay blankets or a sleeping bag on the floor in my room, if you wanted."

Leo paled drastically and shook his head. "I'll probably just sleep on a blanket in the floor. If that's okay."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "I'm not gonna molest you or anything, Leo." He chucked.

Leo paled even more, but took a deep breath and nodded. "I know, sorry. We can share a bed if that's easier."

Percy leaned off the door frame to help Leo pack. "Seriously, if you're uncomfortable, that's fine."

Leo just cook his head, slowly regaining the color in his cheeks. "You just said something that sounded familiar, that's all."

 

* * *

 

 

With Percy helping, they'd finished packing pretty quickly. They headed get to the big house to inform Chiron that Leo would be leaving with Percywho said that was fineand then to see Rachel.

"Hey, Rache," Percy said, smiling at his old friend.

Rachel smiled back and pulled Percy into a hug. "How have you been? I know you've been in camp, but I haven't gotten to see you too often."

Percy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that. You didn't miss much. Just the occasional monster attack." Percy chose not to talk about his break up with Annabeth. He wasn't ready to talk about that yet.

"Are you going home for the school year?"

Percy smiled. "Yeah, and I'm dragging Leo along with me."

Leo grinned and walked up, kneeling down to kiss Rachel's hand. "Leo Valdez, Bad Boy Surpeme, Super-sized McShizzle"

Percy rolled his eyes and smacked Leo on the back of his head.

He immediately stood up and rubbed his head with a grimace. "Come on, man. I was on a roll!"

Percy and Rachel both laughed, causing Leo to pout.

"You now, " Rachel stared. "you strongly resemble a Latino Santa's Elf when you pout."

Leo's pout was replaced with a grin and a wink. "So I've been told."

Percy rolled his eyes again and slung an arm around the Latino's shoulders. Percy was a few inches taller than Leo, so he was the perfect height for Percy's arm. "We should get going. Chiron already called us a cab, since we don't have Nico's shadow traveling ability."

Leo pouted and Rachel grinned. "Go on, before you miss the cab. I know you, Percy. You better hurry."

Percy blushed. He wasn't late for _everything_.

 

* * *

 

 

Rachel was right. Percy was late for everything.

The cab was driving away just as they got there, and Leobeing faster than Percyhad to chase after it and flag it down. When Percy caught up, he had the nerve to blush from embarrassment.

"Rachel... Was right... You're late... For everything," Leo said in between panting breaths.

"Am not," Percy argued, pouting with his huge, baby-seal eyes. Leo just shook his head in mock amazement as he climbed into the cab, Percy following closely behind.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, both having time to catch their breath and slow their heart beats. Percy was the first to break the silence.

"Nervous?"

Leo nodded tensely. Whoever said Percy was obliviouswell, they were correct. But, whoever said Percy was stupid, or didn't pay attention, was deathly wrong. Sure, it took Nico saying his feelings to his face ("What did he mean, ' _You're not my type_ '?") before he pieced it together, but to be fair, even Piper hadn't figured it out. Jason had been the only one to actually know, and that was an accident.

Speaking of Jason, Leo needed to Iris Message him later.

"Yeah," Leo breathed, leaning his head against the window.

Percy chuckled. "You'll be fine. Besides, it's not like we have to stay in all day. We could always go somewhere around New York."

"How about a strip club?" Leo joked. Percy just laughed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Jackson! It would be fun!"

Percy laughed harder. "We're under aged, Leo."

Leo pouted, widening his big, brown eyes and sticking out his bottom lip. "It would have been fun, though."

"This is your stop," the cab driver announced.

Percy smiled, pulling out some cash and handing it to the driver. "Thanks."

The driver nodded. "Welcome."

Leo and Percy climbed out of the car, grabbed their things, and started walking.

"Where are we going, anyways?" Leo asked.

"There's an apartment building close by. I called my mom earlier this morning and told her we were coming, so it should be cleaned up. I apologize in advance if it's not."

Leo grinned. "Have you _seen_ the Hephaestus cabin? Or bunker 9, for that matter?"

Percy laughed. "I see your point. Oh, and we're here."

It was a nice apartment building. The windows looked cleaned, the bricks were still a light red, not yet faded. Leo almost mentioned that Annabeth would probably freak out about it, but decided it best not to. He wanted Percy in a good mood today not an Annabeth-mood.

The door swung open before Percy could even knock, and he was pulled into a bone-crushing hug from a dark haired woman.

"Mom," Percy choked. "can't breathe."

Leo laughed at that, but blushed nervously when Percy's mom looked at him with her sparkling eyes. "You must be Leo."

He nodded, expecting her to give him a hand to shake, or something. Instead, he was also pulled into a bone-crushing hug. Percy laughed beside them, and Leo glared.

"She's a hugger," Percy said with a smile.

Leo did like the hug, and was sad at the lack of warmth when she pulled way. He hadn't had a mother figure hug him since he was little.

"Please. Come in." She held the door for the two, smiling warmly as they entered.

"You've decorated nicely, Mrs. Jackson."

She chuckled a bit. "Please, call me Sally."

Leo blushed again. "Uh, okay."

Sally turned towards the kitchen after telling Percy to show Leo around.

"You really aren't used to this, are you?" Percy asked as they walked up the steps to his room.

Leo shook his head with a glare. "No."

They walked in the bedroom, and Leo wasn't surprised to be enveloped by blue.

Percy grinned. "It's weird watching you stutter. It's like the complete opposite of your normal self."

Leo hung his head a bit. "I'm sorry."

The only way he's managed to make friends was by making jokes and making everyone laugh. He should have known that everyone would think different when he wasn't a constant joker. Not that he didn't like joking, he just didn't like showing his other side. The side that gets scared, the side that secretly wants attention, the side that's lonely.

He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Percy was smiling softly at him, his sea-green eyes shining in the light from the bedroom window. "I like seeing you stutter. It's you, the real you. Don't hide yourself from me, okay?"

Leo stared for a minute before nodding. He felt a weird twist in his stomach, and he wasn't sure if it was a good or bad feeling.

 

* * *

 

 

After unpacking their things, Percy led Leo back downstairs. Thankfully, Gabe wasn't home right now. He was most likely out with his Poker buddies.

"You boys hungry?"

As if on cue, Percy and Leo's stomachs simultaneously growled.

Sally laughed. "I'll take that as a yes. What would you like?"

Percy rubbed the back of his neck nervously, knowing he'd probably get a lecture later about not skipping meals. "We kind of missed breakfast, so we haven't eaten today."

Sally sighed, but smiled nonetheless. "Well, what would you boys like?"

Percy looked over and mouthed, _pancakes?_ to Leo, who shrugged with a smirk. Percy turned back to his mom. "Are pancakes okay?"

Sally nodded. "Sure. I'll yell when it's ready."

Percy grinned. "Thanks Mom."


	2. Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking a deep, uncomfortable breath, Leo tapped the other boy's hand with his own. "Hey, Julius."
> 
> Percy resisted the urge to laugh. _Julius? Seriously?_ How ironic was _that?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny how my writer's block ends on Seaweed Brain's bday lol I meant to post yesterday, but fell sleep before I could finish editing. Anyways, enjoy! Hopefully the next chapters won't have as long a delay. Sorry for the wait!
> 
> I live for Kudos and Comments, as well as any suggestions. Any how would honestly be appreciated, and might help me update sooner.
> 
> Thank You!
> 
> ~Aubrey

"Um, they're _blue_..."

Percy and Sally both laughed at the uncertain look on Leo's face.

"Yes, dear," Sally said with a smile. "It's been a tradition between Percy and I for years. I work at Sweet on America, so when Percy was little, he always picked his favorite colored candy: blue."

Leo nodded his head in understanding. "Wait, how did it become a tradition? I mean, you eat blue foods too, right?"

Percy grinned. "She started bringing blue candy home from work for me, but I couldn't eat it all by itself. One day, I asked for blue pancakes, and continued to ask for blue things. It just kind of became a habit for the both of us."

Leo smirked, feeling a little more comfortable in the Jackson household. He turned to Sally. "When he thinks no one notices, he whispers to the enchanted goblets at Camp for blue cherry coke."

Percy blushed abd sputterrd. "But, it's _blue!_ "

Leo grinned, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "So is everything _else_ you own, Jackson."

Percy did the same, but chose to pout instead of grin.

Sally chuckled and shook her head. "Well, boys. Gabe should be home soon,and I need to clean some of this mess up." She and Percy shared a look, clearly having a silent conversation. "Why don't the two of you stop by the shop? Leo, have you ever been?"

Leo shook his head, making a mental note to interrogate Percy later. "I've never really left Camp Half-Blood since I got there."

Sally chewed the inside of her cheek in thought. She started picking up the dishes on the table as she spoke, to which Leo tried to help her with. "I've got it, but thank you. And Leo dear, I think we'll have to change that. Maybe take a trip to the cabin I met Poseidon at."

Percy's face lit up with grin. "It's been way too long. I'm pretty sure it's been close to five years." Percy started laughing. "Last time I was there, Grover showed up with no pants and goat legs during a storm." He shivered at the thought. "I do _not_ recommend seeing that."

Leo laughed. "Hey, Grover's pretty cool. I don't know him as well as I'd likesince he's always gone or hanging out with Juniperbut he's not so bad. Not as amazing as _me_ , of course."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Repair Boy."

Sally laughed from somewhere in the kitchen. "I just called a taxi. You boys go ahead, and I'll try to catch up later." 

 

* * *

 

 

Percy missed this. It'd been a while since he'd been to Sweet on America.

He grinned when he saw Leo's face, watching everything like a cat ready to pounce. Percy had the feeling they'd be leaving with a lot of candy.

"I've never even _heard_ of half of the candy here!"

Percy chuckled. "Yeah, it's the best place to go in New York. They even have candy from Nico's time."

Leo grinned, eyes never leaving the different types of candy. "Isn't Nico, what? Like, _eighty?_ "

"Somewhere around there, yeah."

Leo laughed. "Explains why he's always so grumpy."

Percy considered that for a moment before shaking his head. "He's just been through a lot. If half of the things that'd happened to him happened to me, I probably wouldn't be much different."

"I've been through a lot, but I'm not grumpy."

Percy rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Just pick out some candy."

Leo grinned, doing just that.

 

* * *

 

 

Leo was gonna be sick for days. He'd grabbed so much candy, the lady at the register had to give them two bags to fit it all. Leo may or may not be broke now, but it was so worth it.

"Gods, Leo." Percy laughed, shoving a piece of blue-colored chocolate in his mouth. "Mom's gonna kill us."

Leo shrugged. "Its just a little candy. Besides, a little sugar never hurt anyone."

Percy snorted. "Actually, it hurts every diabetic out there."

Leo huffed, vaguely noticing the two bags that bounced off his leg as he walked. "Still."

Suddenly, Leo froze. Obsidian black eyes locked onto rich, brown ones. Those dark eyes used to be a comfort to Leo, reminding him of the warm coals of Hestia's hearth. Now? They reminded him of darkness worse than Tartarus itself, causing fear to tighten around his chest and lungs, making his breaths come erratically.

"Percy," Leo said, and he wasn't sure whether it was a plead, a gasp, a whisper, or a demand. His only focus was removing those piercing eyes from his own. "We need to leave."

 

* * *

 

 

Percy stepped up beside Leo, watching as he locked eyes with a tall brunette.

Said brunette had dark eyes, making Percy shiver at the memory of Tartarus. He had on a fitting, black wife beater, blue jeans, and a pair of gray Vans. He couldn't have been more than twenty feet from the demigods.

"Percy," Leo said, his voice strong but cracking, clearly laced with fear. "We need to leave."

Percy immediately went into protective-mode.

"Who is this guy? And why is he staring at you? How do you know him?"

Or, you know, _question-mode_.

Dark Eyes started to step forward, making his way to the Latino, with a fake-innocence smile plastered on his bleached white teeth.

"Valdez! Great to see you!" He held up his hand for a high five, and Percy missed the way Leo flinched back.

Taking a deep, uncomfortable breath, Leo tapped the other boy's hand with his own. "Hey, Julius."

Percy resisted the urge to laugh. Julius? Seriously? How ironic was _that?_

Julius had a satisfied smirk on his face from Leo's discomfort. Percy felt anger flare through him as Julius had the nerve to wrap an arm around Leo's shoulders. "Come on, Valdez. Why don't you come back and say hi to the family? I bet they all miss you."

Leo shook his head, subtly trying to squirm from Julius's hold. Of coarse, the brunette just had to pull Leo closer to his side. "I'm good, thanks. I'm actually staying at my friend's house. His, uh, mom is probably worrying."

 

* * *

 

 

"Oh, come on! It won't take that long."

Leo felt the panic bubble tighter in his chest as Julius pulled him closer every second. If Leo hadn't dealt with monsters before, and known _real_ pain, he would have been sure Julius was trying to crack a rib or two. His arm was around Leo, holding his arm in a death grip. Percy didn't seem to notice, and Leo prayed to the gods that he would.

 _No_.

Leo _didn't_ want that. If Percy noticed, he'd pick a fight, then they'd both get arrested. Leo suppressed the urge to groan loudly at the situation.

"Well," Percy started, aware of Leo's discomfort, if his furrowed eyebrows were any indication. "We should really get going. Nice to meet you, Julius."

Julius nodded, releasing his grip around Leo's shoulders with a bright grin. "You, too. May be we could all hang out some time. I've just been _dying_ to meet some of Leo's _buddies_."

Leo was _not_ looking forward to that.

"Bye," Percy said, taking Leogently, unlike Juliusby the arm and pulling him away from the brunette.

Once they were out of earshot, Percy mumbled, "Gods, and I thought the girls from the _Aphrodite_ cabin were fake."

Leo sighed. "That's because he _is_ one."

Percy raised his eyebrows, clearly wanting to ask more questions. Leo was grateful he didn't.


	3. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo turned and ran back down the stairs to the kitchen table. Gabe was still frozen in shock, probably processing what he'd just learned.

Percy looked pale when he came through the door, and Leo almost questioned him, until he remembered that Sally was there. Whatever it was, Percy hadn't said it to his mom yet, so Leo knew he wouldn't get any answers now.

"How'd it go?" He asked.

Percy shrugged. Sally sent a nervous glance towards Leo, then returned her attention to her son. "How was he?"

Percy snorted. "An ass, as usual."

"Language!"

Percy cringed. "Sorry, Mom."

Sally sighed. "You boys head up to Percy's room. I'll call for you when dinner's ready."

Percy nodded, then gestured for Leo to follow him up the stairs.

 

* * *

 

 

 The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.

Percy and Leo spent the majority of it watching movies that the Stolls had snuck into camp, which Leo had thankfully brought to Percy's house. In between movies, they'd share stories and jokes about their time before the wars, although neither of them went too into detail about the rough parts of their pasts.

"Boys, dinner's ready!"

Percy cringed, hoping to every god that Gabe could be decent for once. Leo didn't seem to notice, thankfully, and the two ran down the stairs.

Gabe was already at the table, beer opened in his hand as he stared at Sally's ass. Percy hated it, and had to control every bit of distaste in him from saying something he'd regret later.

When Gabe glanced at Percy, the son of Poseidon nodded his head subtly towards Leo. Gabe rolled his eyes and set down his beer, then continued to stare at his _wife's_ ass.

Dinner started off pretty quiet, until Leo decided to tell a joke. Luckily, it was a poker pun, so Gabe didn't seem as mad about it as he would have been had it been about anything else besides poker and alcohol.

Sally laughed, so Percy felt compelled to, also.

" _Gods_ ," Percy said in between laughs. "I told better jokes than that in _Tartarus_."

Percy froze as he realized his slip up. He glanced over at his mom, only to see her frozen in place, her fork halfway between her mouth and plate. She stared at Percy in horror.

"What?"

_Shit_.

" _Perseus Jackson_ , tell me you did _not_ just say what I think you said."

Percy glanced down at his plate guilty. He sort of hadn't told his mom about him and Annabeth falling into Tartarus. How would you expect your mom to react if you told her you'd literally fell onto hell with your (ex)girlfriend?

"I'm going to kill your father!"

"He couldn't have prevented it," Percy mumbled. "Besides, I wasn't alone. Annabeth fell with me."

"Actually," Leo corrected. "Annabeth had gotten pulled by Arachne's spider web things, and Percy tried to save her. It was kind of my fault that they fell... so please don't be mad at him."

Sally sighed. "I'm mad at your father for not trying to help you, and I'm going to have a word with him after dinner."

"Hold on a damn second," Gabe said.

Everyone at the table froze, forgetting that Gabe was there. Apparently, he only noticed _one_ thing out of that _entire_ conversation.

" _Father?_ You told me his dad was lost at sea."

Percy's pretty sure he'd never heard Leo laugh so hard in his life.

"Lost at _sea?_ Oh gods."

Sally shot him a warning look, and Leo immediately stopped laughing.

He shrugged. "Well, there's not really a way of fixing that, now."

Sally sighed. "Gabe, there's something you should know."

Percy stared at Sally's eyes pleasingly. There's no way this would end well.

"There's something called Mist that I can see through, and when I met Percy's father, I knew there was something special about him. He'd explained things to me that I never would have believed, had I not been able to see them."

Gabe tapped his fingers on the table impatiently. "Get to the point."

"Only later Did I realize that Percy was special, too," she continued. "The camp that he goes to over the summer is not just any camp, but a safe place for people like him. Leo here is one of those people, and Annabeth."

"What? Is he stuck in some witness protection bullshit?"

 

* * *

 

 

Leo sighed, suddenly wanting this conversation to be over. He could tell that Gabe was an asshole, and really had to resist the urge to just set his hand aflame and scare the hell out of him. Unfortunately, he was a guest, and it would probably be best not to say or do anything stupid.

Sally looked to Percy and Leo. "I'm not sure how to put this without sounding insane.

" Leo grinned. "Can I try?"

Percy sent him a nervous glance, but nodded. Sally nodded, too.

Leo turned his attention to the ads at the table. "Ever heard of the Greek gods?"

Gabe narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, what about them?" Leo grinned, then snapped his fingers. On his index finger was a small flame. "My dad is Hephaestus, god of the forges."

Gabe sneered. "Don't lie to me, boy; I don't like magicians."

Leo threw his hands up in exasperation after putting out the flame.

Percy sighed. "He's not lying, or a magician. We're demigods. My dad is Poseidon."

Gabe leaned forward slightly, enough for Percy to know it was a threat, but subtle enough that Leo and Sally didn't notice. "You better have some proof, kid."

Percy narrowed his eyes in challenge, then swiped his hand up. The beer in Gabe's bottle shot into the air, swirling around in weird ways as Percy moved his hand.

Gabe gaped at the sight above him, then reached up to swipe at the water. Percy moved it away teasingly. Maybe now Gabe wouldn't hit him anymore; be afraid of him.

_No._ He didn't want _anyone_ to be afraid of him. Not after Annabeth...

He dropped the beer back into the bottle, then excused himself from the table. He washed his dish in the sink before heading upstairs, slipping into a pair of shorts from his drawer, and climbing into bed. For Leo's sake, he hoped he'd sleep peacefully tonight.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Just after Percy left the room, Leo excused himself, apologised, and started to make his way upstairs.

"Leo?" Sally called, stopping Leo halfway up. "Could you come here for a moment?"

Leo turned and ran back down the stairs to the kitchen table. Gabe was still frozen in shock, probably processing what he'd just learned.

Leo noticed Sally's plate was empty and grabbed it, taking it to the sink and washing it as he'd been taught in one of his foster homes.

"Thank you," Sally said, stepping up beside him and leaning against the counter. Leo nodded and smiled, turning to face Her after placing the dish in the drainer. "Do you mind my asking about what happened? I know there was another war, against the goddess Gaea, but I didn't know about him falling into... into Tartarus."

Leo sighed. "I'd seen a goddess who'd given me a fortune cookie ~~~~ dumb, I know. In a way, it worked like karma. She'd told me that if I opened it, it would tell me whatever I needed to know. But, she also said that something bad would happen afterwards. I'd used it to save a friend's life, and in return, Annabeth and Percy fell into Tartarus."

Sally sighed, placing a reassuring hand on Leo's shoulder. "That's not your fault. You couldn't have known that they'd fall into Tartarus."

Leo chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm assuming you want to know _how_ they fell, rather than why, right?"

Sally hesitated, then nodded. "Annabeth had been given something called the Mark of Athena"

"Percy told me about that. He said they'd gotten what they needed and left, then fought the goddess."

Leo nodded. "That's true, but he left out a big part. Underneath the floor was a hole into Tartarus, and the ground had started to crack. Arachne fell, but not before wrapping a web around Annabeth's injured ankle. It pulled Annabeth, and Percy leapt forward to catch her hand, but ended up falling, too. He caught a ledge, but it was too far for anyone to reach them. Nico ran to the edge, and Percy told him to meet them at the other side of the Doors of Death. After that... he let go."

Sally had tears in her eyes by the time Leo finished. Leo stood awkwardly, not knowing whether to hug her, give her a pat on the shoulder, or just leave. He decided the latter was most likely the best idea, and made his way up to bed.


	6. I'm so sorry

I'm _so_ sorry guys, but I'm not writing anymore on _archive of our own_... If you want to read my original works, though, you can check me out on **Wattpad** as **_AubreyParsons_**.. I have one _**COMPLETED**_ story on there and three more on their way.

I really, _really_ wanted to finish these stories, but I just sort of ran out of ideas for fanfictions.. Please forgive me?


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